Fibrous mats and production thereof



28, 1956 P. J. FRICKERT, JR 2,736,676

FIBROUS MATS AND PRODUCTION THEREOF 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 24,1953 ATTYS.

INVENTOR. PHILI'P J. FRicKERT BY IIII"! L I Feb. 28, 1956 P. J.FRICKERT, JR 2,736,676

FIBROUS ATS AND PRODUCTION THEREOF Filed April 24, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR. PHI'LI'P J. FRI'CKERT E 7-5 BY JR. v

A T T Ys.

Feb. 28, 1956 P. J. FRICKERT, JR 2,736,676

FIBROUS MATS AND PRODUCTION THEREOF Filed April 24, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet3 IN VEN TOR.

PHI'LfP J. FRicKERT BY Feb. 28, 1956 P, J. FRICKERT, JR 2,736,676

' FIBROUS MATS AND PRODUCTION THEREOF Filed April 24, 1953 4Sheets-Sheet 4 F715 INVENTOR.

PHJ'LI'P J FRicKERT United States atent FIBROUS MATS AND PRODUCTIONTHEREOF Philip J. Frickert, Jr., Harbor Hills, Hebron, Ohio, assignor toOwens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation, a corporation of Delaware 7Application April 24, 1953, Serial No. 351,000

22 Claims. (Cl. 154-44) This invention relates to sheets or mats made offibers in strand form and more particularly to a new fibrous mat productmade of glass strands provided with a selfintegrating property.

Due to increased general use of fibrous glass mat products, need hasarisen for more exacting characteristics and properties for specificapplications. Fibrous glass mats have been put to use for such purposesas acoustical, electrical, and thermal insulation, as well as forreinforcing and filtering purposes, each such application requiringcertain characteristics of strength, porosity and integrity.

One method by which glass fibers for matscan be produced is tomechanically attenuate a plurality of glass streams flowing from afeeder or bushing. Attenuation of the streams may be. effected bypulling rolls or wheels such as are shown in the Drummond applicationSerial Number 199,524, filed on December 6, 1950, which draw the streamsinto fine fibers or filaments as they solidify by reason of exposure tothe atmosphere. The solidified filaments are drawn over a sizeapplicator and are then gathered into strand form whereupon the pullingwheels supply the strand for the purpose desired.

Another method of manufacturing glass fibers involves flowing the glassfrom a feeder as described aboveand directing a jet of gas thereagainstat high speed to attenuate the streams into fine fibers by disruptingthem into variedlengths which collect as a pulpy mass.

Sheet and mat products have been manufactured in the past of both typesof glass fibers but strand mats have presented a greater difiiculty inmanufacture because of their limited ability to form an integral mass,More specifically, the strand. has little tendency to intermingle withitself so as to promote formation of an integral mass such. asin a matproduct. Heretofore, it has beennecessary to add agents such as extraquantities of binder material or additional glassfibers of shorterlength inorder to promote mat integrity. These additions, however,involve additional process steps and corresponding added equipmentcomplexity and cost.

In addition to the problem of integrity, other difiiculties areexperienced with strands in that of themselves they lack the ability togive the degree of'fine porosity desired for uses such as acoustical,electrical, and thermal insulation. That is, continuous strands bythemselves usually fail to provide the multitude of small intersticesdesired in such insulation materials. Further in this regard, mats madewholly of strand, because of their usually large interstices, aresomewhat rough and fail to provide the fine finish and appearancedesired when glass matsare put to use as reinforcement material in resinlaminate structures.

It is particularly desirable to incorporate: continuous glass strandsinmat products, however, because the mechanically attenuated fibersofwhich such strands are composed have much, greater strength than theblowrr fibers. Mechanically attenuated fibers are known to havetensilestrengths much greater than blown fibers. Such additional strengthincorporated in fibrous mats lends greatly to permitting their use inmany installations in which they could not otherwise be used. Both burstand tear strengths of such mats. can be made extremely high by reason ofthe high strength of the fibers or filaments embodied in the strands.

In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention toprovide a novel and economical method and means for manufacture of glassstrand mats having a. high degree of integrity and strength.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new type of glassvstrand mat having a high degree of integrity and strength and acontrollable degree of porosity.

A further object of the invention is to provide an efficient method andmeans for imparting a felting property to glass strands to promoteintegrity in accumulations thereof.

Still another object of. this invention is to produce a novelstrand'product capable of providing a large number of interstices and afine finish in accumulations thereof.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a more eflicientmethod and means than existed heretofore'for manufacturing mat productsof materials in strand or yarn form.

During a program of search for a characteristic of glass strands whichwould aid in attaining the foregoing objectives and at. the same timeovercome the limitations of glass strands, it was discovered that suchstrands had the peculiar characteristic of acquiring a fiufied or fuzzyproperty when driven against a hard surface. That is, it was found thatwhen an integral glass strand is moved at relatively high speed anddirected against a hard surface so that it impinges such surface with adriving force, the product produced is a strand of fuzzy or flufiedcharacfor which tends to take on a curl resulting in a generally helicalform or swirl. The greater the speed of impingement, the greater thefuzziness created.

Upon closely examining a fuzzed strand of this type, it is seen thatateach point along the length of the strand, several of the filamentstherein are dispersed or separated fromthe maincore along at least aportion of their length while the remainder are retained in integratedform. In other Words, the strand integrity is disrupted to the extentthat a portion of the filaments have been dispersedfrom the center ofthe strand for a portion of their length. Since'these filaments areextremely fine, running in the order of .00023 to .00075 inch indiameter, they establish a fuzzed or felted character when thusindivid'ualized.

The strength properties of a strand which has been disrupted'in thismanner, it has been found, are negligibly affected. Further, the fuzz orfelt characteristic provides an attributewhich promotes mass integritywhen the strand is gathered or accumulated. The dispersion of filamentspromotes an intermingling and clinging of the strandportions whichoverlap and cross, or otherwise contact each other, so as to produce agathering of filaments and strand into a cohesive mass. In addition, theintermingling-and' clinging causes the formation of a multitude of smallinterstices desired in insulation products, and also provides a fineouter finish which is often desired when such aprod'uct is used asreinforcement such as in resin laminate structures.

An important feature of this method of filament" dispersion is that itreadily lends itself to an efficient means of distribution into desiredproducts. More specifically, the forces-of impingement, beside efiectingfilament dispersion, may also beused to deflect the strand from the hardfilament' di'spersing surface into astrand accumulatiorr ofdesired form:The strand may be deflected-in a on which it may be collected in matform. The deflection to the conveyor is accomplished by inclining thedispersing or deflecting surface with respect to the path of motion ofthe strand and in the direction of the area of accumulation.

To effect a sweeping action to cause accumulation of the strand acrossthe width of the conveyor, the dispersing or deflecting surface ismerely oscillated in a lateral direction, first to one side and then theother, whereby the strand is correspondingly deflected to and fro acrossthe conveyor. By causing the conveyor to move continuously forward at anappropriate rate of speed the ac- .cumulation across its width takes onthe form of a longitudinal mat.

Although the principles of the present invention are described asapplied in the use of glass strands, the invention is not limitedthereto in view of the fact that it has aspects readily applicable touse with strands, yarns and other forms of different materials. Forexample, the described method of effecting strand distribution can beused for distribution of yarns or slivers as well, or may be used fordistribution of strands, yarns or slivers of materials such as celluloseacetate, artificial silk, cotton, wool or nylon.

Other objects and features which I believe to be characteristic of myinvention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. Myinvention, however, both in organization and the manner of constructiontogether with further objects and advantages thereof may be bestunderstood by reference to the following description taken in connectionwith the accompanying. drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic side-elevational view of matmaking apparatusembodying principles of the present invention;

Figure la is an enlarged view in part of the deflecting member of Figure1 illustrating a strand impinging thereagainst and being deflected indispersed form;

Figure 2 is a plan view of a piece of strand mat produced in accordancewith the present invention showing, in general, the swirl and loopedappearance imparted thereto;

Figure 3 is a side-elevational view of apparatus for manufacturingstrand mats in accordance with the invenanother embodiment with whichstrand mats are manufactured in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 8 is a partially schematic perspective view of still anotherapparatus assembly embodying principles of the invention for makingstrand mats in accordance with this invention; and

Figure 9 is a plan view in part of the apparatus of Figure 8.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, Figure 1 shows apparatusfor making mat in accordance with this invention. The glass filaments 10are drawn into the form of an integral strand under the influence of apair of pulling wheels 16 which impart linear velocity to the strandsufiicient to deflect it from a filament-dispersing member 18 onto aconveyor 20. The filaments are formed of molten glass at feeder 11 whichfeeds the glass through orifices in its tips 12. They are drawn over aroller-type size applicator 13 of conventional design which coats thefilaments with sizing such as water, starch or gelatine before they aregathered into strand form at a gathering shoe 14. The pullingwheels 16which impart motion to the strand are of a type illustrated anddescribed in the aforementioned copending Drumrnond application, SerialNumber 199,524. The strand 15 is drawn downwardly by the wheels toattenuate the filaments at the feeder. The wheel speed is arranged to besuch as to impart motion to the strand with sufficient kinetic energy todisperse at least a portion of the filaments in the strand uponimpingement against the member 18 as well as to deflect the strand inthe direction in which member 18 is inclined. The kinetic energy withinthe strand after impact is diminished somewhat, causing the speed ofemission to be correspondingly reduced. This fact, in addition to thefact that the dispersed strand tends to fuzz and curl, causes it to takeon a somewhat helical configuration after impingement as shown in Figure1a. Although the fuzzed strand 19 takes on a configuration other thanstraight after impingement, it still follows a generally straight pathdependent upon the direction in which the deflecting.member is faced.

Thus, in order to make the mat of width greater than that of the strandconfiguration, the member 18 is cyclically oscillated across the Widthof the conveyor line to lay a mat product of the type shown in Figure 2.The thickness of mat 20 is dependent upon the speed of the conveyor aswell as the speed of emission of the dispersed strand 19. In order tomake a thicker mat, either the linear speed of emission of the strand 19is increased, or the conveyor 25 is reduced in speed. The combination ofthese two speed control factors, of course, permit production of even athicker mat product.

The sweep action resulting in oscillation of the member 18 back andforth across the conveyor belt or chain '25 can be accomplished by anumber of methods but as an illustration of one of these methods, themember 18 is supported on a vertical shaft 22 which is integrallyassociated with a cam follower arm 23 arranged to be actuated by afollower-cam 24 driven by motor 27. The pattern of the groove set in thefollower-cam 24 is made such as to oscillate the member 13 at a ratewhich effects uniformity of distribution of the strand 19 Withoutcreating thicker or thinner mat portions, such as for instance, 7

might be caused by a lingering of the member 18 at extreme sidepositions.

After collection of the strand into an accumulation of desired width andthickness, a binder is applied by such means as a binder spray 21. Thebinder material may be any of a number of materials that will effect adesired bonding action such as phenol formaldehyde, polystyrene, starch,acrylic resins, etc. The mat is thereupon further conveyed over the belt25 and then introduced into a curing oven 26 where it is heat cured toestablish stable physical characteristics. Following curing, the mat maybe made ready for shipment or further use by winding it into a roll 28.

The properties of mats produced in this manner may be closely governedover a considerable range of characteristics by changing the proportionof filaments within the strand which are dispersed before introductioninto the mat. For instance, the strand may be arranged to be deflectedwithout dispersion to produce mats made completely of integral strand. Amat product of this kind has large interstices and correspondingly isrelatively coarse yet provides the high twist and tear strengths whichprove highly desirable for reinforcement purposes. If, however, thestrand incorporated in the mat has dis persed filaments in accordancewith the-present invention, then the interstices therein are morenumerous and considerably smaller, producing a product desirable forinsulation purposes.

The number of filaments dispersed within the deflected strand has beenfound controllable by adjusting the angle of impingement of the strandagainst the deflecting surface as well asby regulating speed of thestrand.

'- meagre In addition, the degree of dispersion of the strand iscontrollable by the amount of fluid applied at the applicator.

It has been found that the closer the angle between the strand and thedeflecting surface is to 90 the greater is the amount of dispersionproduced. That is, if the strand impinges the surface in a path directlyperpendicular to the surface, the greatest amount of strand dispersionis effected for a given speed. With such impingement, however, thestrand fails to be deflected and merely piles up in a form requiringfurther treatment to place it in useable form. To permit accumulation ofthe dispersed strand in a more convenient form, the defleeting surfaceis tilted in the manner of the deflecting member 18. Tilting thissurface at too small an angle with respect to the strand, however,reduces the amount of dispersion. For instance, if a Zero angulardisposition were to be provided, between the strand and deflectingplate, the plate surface would be parallel to the path of'movement ofthe strand and no impingement or dispersion of filaments could beeffected. Thus, some angular disposition between 0 and 90 may be foundfor each specific need for filament-dispersed strand. Anothercharacteristic determining angle of impingement is the pattern desiredin the final product. The closer the angle is to 90, the tighter orsmaller is the curl formed in the accumulation.

As an illustration of quantitative proportions here given by way ofexample only and not by way of limitation, a 204 filament integralstrand having a linear speed of 8,000 feet per minute, may have of itsfilaments dispersed upon impingement. A greater number of filaments, ofcourse, are controllably dispersed at higher speeds.

'Uponinitial collection of the deflected strand with its dispersedfilaments, it is a flufly product, particularly if the amount offilament dispersion is great. As pointed out, the degree of flui'linessmay be controlled by regulating the degree of filament dispersion in thedeflected strand. If it is desired to compact the fluffy accumulation inthe mat, however, water or other fluids, may be sprayed thereon as themat is formed and before being sent through the curing operation. Anupper compression roll or top flight may also be used to compact thestrand accumulation on the conveyor before or during the curingoperation. if the fibrous glass and resin are accumulated withoutintermediate compacting steps being effected, a flufly product isobtained having excellent properties adapted to many insulatingapplications.

As pointed out, the degree of filament dispersion is also controllableby the amount of moisture transferred to the strand at the sizeapplicator 13. It has been found that, beyond a certain pointdeterminable by trial with each type of strand, the more fluid appliedto the filaments, the lesser is the per cent of filament dispersioneffected upon impingement with the deflecting surface.

It should be noted that at the time of impingement, the strand is oftensufliciently moist to cause an accumulation of moisture on the impingedsurface. Although the accumulation in some instances would be suflicientto prevent eflicient filament dispersion and strand deflection, it hasbeen found that this condition may be readily remedied by heating theimpinged member to drive off'excess moisture. Heating may beaccomplished by direct application of a flame on the under side of themember or'by such means as flow of electrical current through themember. Air directed against the impinged surface of the member in amanner similar to that disclosed here after in embodiments of Figures 7to 9 may also be convenien tly used to maintain the desired degree ofmoisture freedom at the impinged surface.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate another embodiment of the invention in whicha deflecting member or plate 38 is arcuate in form to effect astraighter and more even distribution of the dispersed strand 39 acrossthe width of the mat 40. The deflecting member is a semicircular channelangularly mounted on an oscillating shaft 42 driven by a cam follower:arm 43 which in turn is caused to oscillate by the rotation of thefollower cam 44. The follower cam, as in the embodiment of Figure 1, ispatterned to oscillate the member 38 at a cyclic rate effecting uniformdistribution of the dispersed strand 39 deflected therefrom. Thefollower cam 44 is driven by a directdrive motor 47.

The integral strand 35 is drawn downwardly by the puller wheels 36 whichimpart a motion to the strand sufiicient to deflect it from the member38 and simultaneously disperse filaments therein. The deflected strandafter impingment against the deflecting surface, is introduced to themat 40 collected on the conveyor 45.

By reason of the curvature of the deflecting member 38', it need bemoved through only a small angle during oscillation to effect full sweepdistribution of the strand. With the slightest lateral motion of themember, the angle of sweep of the impinging strand is changed much morethan is possible by' similar mot-ion with a flat member. This occursboth by reason of a change in direction of the member as well as byreason of a change in direction of the arcuate surface against which theimpingement is effected. Beside permitting wide distribution with lessermotion of the deflecting member 38, its arcuate form also promotesgreater uniformity. That is, as the member swings laterally, it presentsa surface portion to the impinging strand which is slightly higher andforward ofits central portion, thus causing the deflected strand to bethrown further when deflected in the direction of the edges of" the marthan when directed toward the center. In this manner, the line acrossthe width of the mat on which the strand is collected is substantiallystraight rather than arcuate as might be expected with the straightdeflecting member asused in the embodiment of Figure 1. A straighter andmoreuniforrn accumulation of dispersed strand across the width of themat is thereby assured.

Figures 53 and 6* illustrate still another embodiment of this inventionin which strand 55' drawn by wheel pullers 56 is arranged to impingeagainst a drum diagonally mounted on ahorizontal axis. As in theprevious embodiment, the strand is arranged to impinge against the drum58 with. sufli'cient impactto deflect it as well as to dis persefilaments contained therein, thereby producing a pulledstrand 59- which,is collected on conveyor belt 65 in the form of a mat 60. As illustrated'in Figure 6, as the drum, or cylinder 58 is rotated by drive motor 64,it presents a deflecting surface which alternates in angular dispositionso that the strand is first deflected to one side and thento the other;The strand isthus swept back and forth across the width of the conveyorto produce the mat 60. Impingement ofthe strand against the drum is madeto be slightly forward of the horizontal axis on which it rotates,thereby effecting a change in the direction in which a line. drawnperpendicular to the faceof the drum at the point of impingement" isdirected during rotation. Inother words, the direction faced by theimpinged area of' the drum 58 during successive instants of rotation ischanged constantly in accordance'with the cycle of motion determined bythe shape and" axis of rotation of; the drum thereby correspondinglychanging the angle of deflection to produce a sweepingaction.

Figure. 7 shows a still further embodiment of the invention in which.pulling wheels are-replaced by a pneumatic tube 76 which drawsthe strand75 through an eye 73 from a strand package. 72. The strandadriving airis introduced at; the side of the path of travel taken by the strand 75and carries the; strand with it through the tube to impart velocitythereto suificientto drive the strand, against the deflecting; surface78. The, deflecting plate or member 78 is in this instance arranged tobe stationary to direct the strand, a. given, distance forward into themat 80 for collection on 'the conveyor belt.85. .-a .r' v p ng. o t e.strand f m he. efl t n m ber 78 is effected by air blown from pneumatictubes or nozzles 77 which operate alternately to first deflect thedispersed strand 79 to one side and then to the other. A feature of thisembodiment lies in the fact that as the strand is directed to one side,the air emitted from the tube blowing it to that side also acts to aidthe forces of impingement to throw it further forward at the extremeedges of the mat. In this way, the line of collection of strand into themat is again made substantially straight as in the embodiment of Figures3 and 4. Another feature of this embodiment lies in the fact that it hasno moving parts except the conveyor and the spindle from which thestrand package 72 is unwound.

Figures 8 and 9 illustrate another embodiment in which widerdistribution of strand is effected by making the strand deflectingsurface 98 pivotal in a vertical direction and by providing a curvedguide rod 97 for raising and lowering the deflecting surface as itoscillates back and forth in a lateral direction. With such anarrangement, the deflected strand 99 impinges the surface at a slightlydifferent relative angle when the strand is directed to the sides of themat 100 than when directed toward the center thereof. In other words,the deflected strand is thrown a greater distance from the deflectingsurface when directed to the marginal portions adjacent to the edges ofthe mat. The integral strand 95 is drawn by pulling wheels 96 anddirected against the deflecting member 98 which produces a dispersedstrand 99 for mat 100 which is formed on the conveyor line or belt 105.The deflecting member 98 is pivoted on the laterally oscillating driveshaft 102. As the deflecting member is swept laterally in eitherdirection from its center, it is lifted slightly by the guide rod 97,causing the angle of deflection of the strand to be varied with respectto the horizontal and causing the strand to be thrown a greater distanceat the edges. In this way the width of the mat can be made greater witha given deflecting member and strand speed.

To further aid in throwing the deflected strand a greater distance fromthe point of impingement, air jets are provided just behind the pointwhere the strand impinges the deflecting surface. The jets are emittedfrom a tube 104 and are directed strategically to give greater travelforce to the dispersed strand as it leaves the deflecting surface, thuscausing a further throwing of the strand to points otherwise toodifficult to attain without extremely high speeds of impingement. Air issupplied from an external source, not shown, to a supply tube 103 toform the air jets desired. As shown, the jet orifices are convenientlylocated in the tube ends and are directed from behind and slightly toone side of the point of impingement to catch the deflected strand withthe most eflicient transfer of energy of motion to the strand. Besideaiding in throwing the strand a greater distance, the air jets also actto stretch out the helical configuration of strand 99 to form smallerswirls in the final mat product.

While the invention has been shown in connection with certain preferredembodiments thereof, it is apparent that numerous variations andmodifications may be made, and it is contemplated in the appended claimsto cover all such variations and modifications as fall within the truespirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. The method of controllably imparting a felting property to anuntwisted strand of continuous glass filaments comprising the steps ofimparting a linear motion to such strand, causing said strand to impingea hard surface, and to regulate the velocity imparted to the strand toeffect the desired degree of fiber dispersion.

2. The method of controllably imparting a felting property to anuntwisted fibrous glass strand comprising the steps of imparting a highvelocity motion to such strand, causing said strand to impinge a hardsurface, and to angularly fix the surface to effect the desired degreeof fiber dispersion.

3. The method of controllably imparting a felting property to anuntwisted fibrous glass strand of continuous fibers during the strandforming process comprising the steps of imparting a high velocity motionto such strand, causing said strand to impinge a hard surface, and tofix the amount of sizing fluid applied to the fibers during forming toeffect a general dispersion of fibers to a desired degree at successivepoints along the length of the strand.

4. The method of making a product of an untwisted filamentous glassstrand comprising imparting high velocity motion to said strand in thedirection of a deflecting surface at a rate sutficient to disperse atleast a portion of the filaments therein upon impingement against saidsurface as well as to angularly deflect the strand therefrom in anotherdirection to a predetermined collection area.

5. Apparatus for manufacture of mats from matter in strand-like formcomprising means for imparting high velocity motion to such matter, apivoted deflection member having an inclined deflection surface disposedin the path of travel of said matter, said motion imparting means beingcapable of moving said strand linearly with sufiicient velocity to causeits deflection from said surface and means for cyclically varying thelateral direction in which said surface faces about its pivot axis, saidsurface being arcuately shaped whereby the angle of deflection of saidmatter from the member is varied by the arcuate contours of the memberas well as by the variation of the direction in which the member isfaced.

6. Apparatus for manufacture of mats from matter in strand-like formcomprising means for imparting high velocity motion to such matter, arotary deflection member disposed in the path of travel of said matter,said member having a peripheral surface varying in angular dispositionwith respect to its axis of rotation in accordance with a predeterminedpattern for a desired cyclic variation in angular deflection of thestrand on rotation of the member.

7. Apparatus for distribution of matter in strand-like form forincorporation in a mat product comprising, means for imparting highvelocity motion to such matter, a stationary deflection member disposedin the path of travel of said matter, pneumatic blowers laterallydisposed on opposite sides of the point of impingement of said matterwith said member, and means for effecting alternate operation of saidblowers to produce a sweep distribution of the matter deflected fromsaid member in a direction generally transverse to the path of travel ofsaid matter.

8. Apparatus for distribution of matter in strand-like form forincorporation in a mat product comprising, means for imparting highvelocity motion to such matter, a deflection member disposed in the pathof travel of said matter, pneumatic blowers, laterally disposed onopposite sides of the point of impingement of said matter with saidmember, said blowers being located slightly behind the point ofimpingement and arranged to direct means for cyclically varying thelateral disposition of said member about its vertical pivot axis toproduce a lateral sweep distribution of matter deflected therefrom, andassociated means for cyclically varying the angular disposition of saidmember on its horizontal axis to effect a wider and linear distributionof said matter.

10. Apparatus for manufacture of mats of fibrous material comprisingmeans for imparting high velocity rnotion to such material, a deflectionmember angularly disposed in the path of travel of said material,pneumatic blower means directed generally transversely to said path oftravel behind the point of impingement of said material with said memberto aid propulsion of material deflected from said member topredetermined points of collection.

11. Apparatus for manufacture of mats of matter in continuousstrand-like form comprising means for imparting high velocity motion toa continuous strand, a member having a deflecting surface disposed inthe path of travel of said matter, said motion imparting means beingcapable of moving said strand in an axial direction to impinge saidsurface with sufiicient velocity to effect a deflection thereof underits own inertia of motion to predetermined points of collection, andmeans for cyclically varying the orientation of said deflecting surfacerelative to the path of said strand to effect distribution thereof inaccordance with a predetermined sweep pattern.

12. As an article of manufacture a mat made of an untwisted strand ofcontinuous filaments in which at least a portion of the filaments aredispersed by being spaced from each other at each point along the lengthof the strand while the remainder of the filaments are integrallyassociated in closely compacted relation.

13. As an article of manufacture a fibrous mat comprising an untwistedstrand of continuous filaments, said strand having at each point alongits length a portion of said filaments closely associated in an integralcore, and the remainder of said filaments being dispersed inindividually spaced relation from said core, said strand beingdistributed through said mat in the form of random overlapping loopsestablishing an intermingling felted relationship between dispersedfilaments and strand portions.

14. A fibrous glass mat comprising a continuous untwisted stranddistributed through the length, width and depth of said mat, said strandcomprising a plurality of continuous glass filaments grouped ingenerally parallel relation and having at each point along its length atleast a portion of said filaments dispersed in spaced relation from thecross sectional center of the strand to impart a fuzzed characterthereto, said strand being distributed through said mat in the form ofrandom overlapping loops, and a bonding material distributed throughoutthe mat to interbond the filaments and strand portions located in closeproximity and in contacting relationship with each other.

15. A fibrous mat comprising a mass accumulation of interminglingswirled portions of at least one untwisted filamentous strand ofcontinuous glass fibers, the cross section of the strand atsubstantially all points along its length having at least a portion ofthe filaments therein individually dispersed from the center of thestrand.

16. A method for imparting a fuzzed property to an integrated untwistedstrand of continuous filaments comprising moving said strand relative toa hard surface and impinging said surface with sufficient velocity tocause a dispersion from the center of said strand at successive adjacentpoints along the length of said strand of at least a portion of thefilaments therein.

17. .A method for introducing a fibrous strand into a product comprisingthe steps of imparting a high velocity axial motion to the strand,directing said strand after it leaves the motion-impartinginstrumentality against a deflecting surface spaced from saidinstrumentality with suflicient velocity to deflect the strand from saidsurface, and cyclically varying the direction toward which thedeflecting surface faces to eifect deflection of the strand from saidsurface to predetermined points of accumulation.

18. The method of making a continuous strand mat of one or more strandsof untwisted, parallelly grouped,

continuous glass filaments comprising the steps of imparting to eachsuch strand a linear motion toward a deflecting surface of such velocityas to cause at least a portion of the fibers therein to be dispersed aswell as to cause the strand to be deflected from said surface, and tovary the direction of deflection in accordance with a predeterminedcycle to effect a desired distribution thereof in the form of a mat.

19. Apparatus for producing mat products incorporating material incontinuous strand form comprising means for imparting high velocitymotion to a continuous strand, means comprising a surface angularlyrelated to the path of said strand against which said strand is arrangedto impinge, said motion imparting means being capable of moving saidstrand with suflicient velocity to cause its deflection from saidsurface, and means for varying the orientation of said deflectionsurface with respect to said path of the strand in accordance with apredetermined cycle of variation to effect distribution thereof in adirection generally transverse to said path.

20. Apparatus for producing mat products incorporating material incontinuous strand form comprising means for imparting high velocitymotion to a continuous strand, 9. pivoted member comprising a hardsurface angularly disposed in the path of travel of said strand, saidmotion imparting means being capable of moving said strand withsuflicient velocity to cause its deflection from said surface forappreciable distances from said member and means for cyclically varyingthe lateral orientation of said member about its pivot to effect asweeping distribution of the deflected strand.

21. The process of making mat products containing glass fiber strandscomprising flowing streams of molten glass, drawing out the streams intocontinuous fibers and gathering them into a continuous untwisted strand,applying a sizing fluid to the fibers as they are formed and before theyare gathered into a strand, imparting a high velocity axial motion tosaid strand, directing said strand along path against a deflectingsurface at sufiicient velocity to deflect the strand therefrom, andcyclically varying the direction toward which the deflecting surfacefaces to etfect deflection of the strand from said surface topredetermined points of accumulation extending in a direction generallytransverse to said path.

22. Apparatus for making fibrous glass mats comprising a feeder forflowing a plurality of streams of molten glass, attenuating means fordrawing said streams into continuous fibers, a gatherer spaced from thefeeder for gathering the fibers together into an untwisted strand asthey are attenuated, means located in the path of the fibers forapplying a sizing fluid to said fibers to provide sizing fluid thereonat said gatherer, said attenuating means being adapted to impart a highvelocity to said strand along its linear axis, means comprising asurface inclined to the path of said strand against which said strand isarranged to impinge, the attenuating means being capable of impartingsuflicient velocity to said strand to cause a deflection therefrom,means for varying the orientation of said surface with respect to saidstrand to effect distribution thereof in a direction generallytransverse to said path of the strand, and linearly moveable collectionsurface means on which the deflected strand be laid progressively as amat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,392,882 Roberts Jan. 15, 1946 2,509,845 Slayter May 30, 1950 2,577,214Slayter Dec. 4, 1951 2,610,893 Collins et al. Sept. 16, 1952 2,638,146Rounseville et a1. May 12, 1953

12. AS AN ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE A MAT MADE OF AN UNTWISTED STRAND OFCONTINUOUS FILAMENTS IN WHICH AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE FILAMENTS AREDISPERSED BY BEING SPACED FROM EACH OTHER AT EACH POINT ALONG THE LENGTHOF THE